North Sea Port says no significant new drone incidents have been reported in recent months, but it wants to strengthen security around critical infrastructure, chief executive Cas König has said.
Last year, several drones were spotted over the port area of Terneuzen, including near the petrochemical cluster. The pilots were not identified.
König said he had received no major new reports in recent months, but cautioned that this did not mean such activity had stopped.
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He said that in an earlier period, drones had been seen above both the Borssele nuclear power station and the petrochemical cluster.
For North Sea Port, that is reason enough to tighten protection. König said he would not specify what military equipment might be needed.
“I do not know whether the port needs anti-aircraft systems,” he said. “But I am fully convinced that we need better security and must strengthen our resilience.”
He said the infrastructure in Ghent and the Zeeland part of the port was important far beyond the local area.
“The port infrastructure we have in Ghent and in Zeeland is crucial for Flanders, but also for north-west Europe,” he said, adding that stronger protection was therefore “self-evident”.
Recent drone incidents near the airports of Brussels and Charleroi show the threat has not disappeared. Air traffic at both airports had to be suspended for a time in recent days.
